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Affirmed by a handshake of the Bishop
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February 20, 2024What a beautiful and memorable day for the Church: 167 catechumens, who are preparing to be baptized, receive the Eucharist and confirmation, and 130 candidates who were baptized but are missing the sacraments, are now officially entering the last weeks of their preparation.
Participants in the Rite of Election are unbaptized adults known as catechumens, derived from a Greek word for “being instructed.” The ceremony usually takes place at the beginning of Lent. The Cathedral was packed with catechumens, candidates, godparents, sponsors, and instructors. The ceremony started with prayers and Sunday’s readings. Bishop Mulvey referred to the image of the rainbow, the sign of the covenant with Noah, in his homily: “God is with his people – God is with us.” Being baptized is a covenant “between God and you, and you and God.” Even if we sometimes fail in relationships, God’s ultimate covenant through Jesus Christ in the Eucharist will never cease: “His desire for relationship is so profound that He sent His own son among us.”
God loves us so much – the bishop continued – that He sacrificed His son: “The cross is a sign that God is faithful to you and me.” He reminded the catechumens and candidates of the first letter of John: “You are God’s children – in baptism, we become God’s children.”
We should not follow the voice that could speak inside us, telling us, “You don’t need to go to Mass; you went last Sunday,” or “You can break your Lenten promise; it doesn’t matter” if we want to go ahead on our faith journey. “When we get lazy – remember the cross; when we get discouraged – remember the cross,” the bishop said. In the Eucharist, everyone can experience this covenant: “This is my body, and this is my blood – the blood of the new covenant.” On this particular day, the bishop reminded the faithful that Jesus says in the Eucharist, “I love, I am with you, I am faithful to you – be faithful to me.” He ended his homily, wishing the catechumens and candidates, “May your faith grow stronger every day.”
First, in the “Rite of Election,” all godparents and the assembly accept the catechumens and affirm that they are adequately prepared. After that, each parish instructor presented their catechumens to the bishop. As a sign of acceptance, the bishop shook their hands – now their last preparation phase begins.
In a second moment, the candidates were affirmed in the “Call to Continuing Conversion.” After answering that they desire to “enter fully into the life of the Church through the sacraments,” each one was affirmed by Bishop Mulvey's handshake.
With a long applause, the assembly welcomed the catechumens and candidates.
